Back to the Basics
The French-style of serving, like the English, style requires that the knife be placed on the right side of the plate and the fork on the left. Let's go back in time to discover its origin. The fork was introduced to the table in 1324 at the court of Charles IV the Fair. Its use is was modernized for foods that cannot be grasped with your fingers, such as baked apples. The fork flourished in the Medici era, when high-ranking people wore huge ruffles around their necks, the famous "strawberry". The fork prevented staining. Meanwhile, the knife appeared long before the fork. With it's very sharp surface, it was used to prick food to bring it to the mouth. With the arrival of the fork, its design transformed from sharp to a gradually rounded tip. Nevertheless, it continued to remain useful and morphed into a functional complement to the fork. This is why one will cut with the knife in their right hand while a fork in their left hand is used to bring the food to the mouth.